Update: Sick + James Gunn + Fanboy Problems

Okay, first of all: I'm back. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday, etc. I unfortunately got sick shortly after and didn't feel like doing a post, so I didn't. So, there you are, in case you were wondering.

Now, to get to the real thing I wanted to talk about. James Gunn. You may or may not have heard of James Gunn. He's a talented writer-director (his two best movies arguably being Slither and Super) who is set to direct the upcoming Marvel The Guardians of the Galaxy. Recently, Mr. Gunn has gotten into some hot water after a nearly two year old blog post titled "The 50 Superheroes You Most Want to Have Sex With" has resurfaced amongst certain feminist and gay rights websites where they accuse Mr. Gunn of being sexist, homophobic, and of slut-shaming. You can find The Mary Sue article here.  Gunn's post has since been taken down, but you can view the cached version here. Now, looking at the title alone would tell you that this is going to be a pretty disgusting article...and it totally is. But, then again, that was kind of the intention.

You see, if anyone who has been criticizing Gunn actually took the time to do some research into the man, they would find a very strong and vocal proponent of gay rights, feminism, and hatred of all things Chris Brown. All you have to do is look at his twitter account. This is the last person you would find to purposefully make disparaging remarks about gays, lesbians, or women, and mean it. He is someone who, time and time again, has fought on their side and has also had the habit of writing very strong female characters into his movies.

So, what's with the blog post then? Gunn was addressing a problem that has plagued Fanboyism for a long time now, and has only just recently been getting more and more attention now that geeky girls and other geeky things like comic book movies are becoming more and more mainstream and accepted. That problem is this oversexualization by ignorant fanboys towards female characters in comic books, video games, etc.

Look at this photo:

This is a photo that James Gunn, himself, used on his blog post for the apparent winner of the contest: Wonder Woman. Pictures like these are everywhere in geek culture. You'll find them in comic book blogs, video game blogs, and in the mediums themselves. Lists, like the one Gunn posted, are also a common occurrence. Blogs will rank female characters based on their sex appeal for really no purpose other than to appeal to young teenage boys. Here is one example (which includes men characters, but so did Gunn's post), or how about a video counting down the best boobs in gaming? Really all you have to do is do a google search for "sexiest video game/comic book characters" (that's what I did) and a plethora of lists will show up and you can have your pick. Shit like this goes on all the time, and it has turned off many would-be geeky girls from the whole thing because we all look like a bunch of lonely 12 year old boys sitting in front of a computer screen who fantasize and objectify women in any possible way we can.

This is the real problem, and what Gunn was trying to do is use satire to point this out. To hold up a mirror to those ignorant fanboys out there and say, This is what you sound like to the rest of the world, and you make us all look like this you when you do it. He used outrageous language and things that sound like something most people wouldn't say to expose this issue. Was it very clear? Admittedly, maybe not to everyone. It was to me, but then again, I've seen this issue everywhere, and I know how James Gunn actually feels on the subject. Admittedly, it wasn't that well written, and isn't that funny when you actually read it. It may not have been entirely clear what his intention actually was, and that's a shame. I think for those blogs that are taking the story up and condemning him, they need to turn their focus on the very real problems facing gays, lesbians, and women because Gunn's post certainly isn't the problem.

For those that did take offense, I'm sorry that happened. You're getting mad at the right mindset though, your heart is in the right place. But, this isn't the thing to get mad at. Get mad at the still prevalent mindset that these characters have to be sexualized in order to be appreciated. And for those who have suggested that Gunn be fired from the Guardians of the Galaxy project, go home. James Gunn really deserves this project. He has worked for years not garnering the attention he deserves and this could be his big break. It shouldn't be spoiled for him for a two-year-old poorly written joke with good intentions.

Meridith Borders over at Badass Digest does a great job of explaining her reasoning for defending Gunn, despite being a feminist herself, and I think its definitely worth a read.

What I ask readers to take away from this is to take the person's intent into account before you take offense to something that they have written or said. It's like calling Mel Brooks a racist for using the N-word in his movies when he was really making fun of the way those racists must think.

Quick Edit: James Gunn has since apologized, and I think it's a very classy apology. Now we have to move on from this.

On the Subject of Star Wars

Yes, Star Wars, what every film geek/star wars geek/anyone is talking about right now: what will happen to the new trilogy?

Earlier this week, the news broke that Michael Arndt, the screenwriter (and Oscar winner of Best Screenplay) for Little Miss Sunshine, and also wrote Toy Story 3, and the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire, has been confirmed as the writer for Episode VII. What his total involvement in the franchise actually is, though, is unclear. Deadline reported on rumors that Arndt had already written and turned in a 40-50 page treatment for the next trilogy way back, and was a reason why Disney felt confident to close the deal with Lucasfilm. Now, he has been confirmed as the writer for Episode VII, but wait....what about the rest of the trilogy? Did Arndt write it or not? My guess is that he did and they hired him back to write the first installment....errr seventh, I guess.

What does this mean? Well, I'm not sure. It is kind of underwhelming news. I don't have the same loathing reaction to Little Miss Sunshine that so many others do. I rather liked it. Yes, it's not great, but it's certainly not awful. Toy Story 3 was also a great installment into the franchise, but nowhere near as good as the fantastic Toy Story 2. It felt often like a retread of similar themes of coming to terms with your mortality, and clung to the audience's nostalgia for the toys of their youth than exploring any really compelling drama (that wasn't already explored in 2). And who can say how the The Hunger Games sequel will turn out. I liked the first one, but part of worked so well for me was Gary Ross's vision and love for the material, despite my indifference to it (they're good, but certainly not the overrated greatness that they are hoisted as). Who knows where Francis Lawrence will take Arndt's script and the rest of the franchise. So, we'll have to wait and see what Arndt and Lawrence have in store for us with that one.

Getting back to the nostalgia comment I made earlier. Maybe that's what the new Star Wars should do: prey on the audience's nostalgia for Luke, Leia, and Han. The prequels certainly didn't succeed at that. If it does it well, it could be good (like Toy Story 3), but it probably won't be great (like Toy Story 2). It would be safe, and that's probably what would let Disney feel comfortable. That way, there is less of a chance of a prequel debacle repeat of history. I hope that isn't what they do, though.

The one saving grace I see in this whole business is something I have only seen in comment threads in other blogs and sites (and just recently at Vulture), and that is that Arndt held a lecture where he broke down the script of A New Hope bit by bit and especially delved deep into the structure, why it works so well, and why the ending is so creatively satisfying. An article over at Vulture seems to have the most information I can find. One interesting quote from an attendee at one of his lectures is:

"Arndt stated that if a writer could resolve the story's arcs (internal, external, philosophical) immediately after the Moment of Despair at the climax, he or she would deliver the Insanely Great Ending and put the audience in a euphoric state. The faster it could happen, the better. By [Arndt’s] reckoning, George Lucas hit those three marks at the climax of Star Wars within a space of 22 seconds."

The article goes on to talk about the third act and how Lucas achieved this. It's really interesting, so take a look. The article is over at Vulture.

But...yea, kind of underwhelming news. This also seems to put the kibosh on the rumors surrounding the Brad Bird-Damon Lindelof upcoming Sci-Fi epic for Disney, 1952, actually being a code-name for Episode VII. Which probably puts the kibosh on Brad Bird directing Episode VII. Which means I am less excited than I was.

The Marvel That is Cloud Atlas (Review)

Cloud Atlas is a marvel of a film. Having a $100 million budget that is almost entirely independently financed (the studio only payed $15 million of that) is rare, to say the least. This is a movie that needs to be seen, if only to make back its budget, which at the time of writing this has only made back about $22 million. That's 1/5 its budget. That is not good, especially for a movie that is deserving of so much more, and here's why:

We will probably get nothing like this ever again. Sure, directors and producers will try, but few will succeed the way the Wachowski's and Tom Tykwer have with Cloud Atlas. Whether you felt the movie worked or not, you have to agree that Cloud Atlas is important. Having seen it twice now, I believe I can safely say that this is my favorite movie of the year, and no, I haven't seen Skyfall yet (I plan to), and no, I can't see Lincoln (although it is supposedly FANTASTIC by the way) or The Hobbit or, even the movie I'm most excited for, the new Les Miserables really beating this movie. They might come close, but few movies come along that really really give me a pure sense of hope for cinema as an evolving art form like Cloud Atlas did for me.

Based on the acclaimed novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas follows six different stories, taking place in six different periods of history and into the future and explores ideas and themes involving reincarnation, spirituality, love, slavery, altruism, the convergence of man and machine, and others. The six stories are:

• The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing - follows a lawyer on his trip back from the Pacific Isle to San Francisco to complete a business transaction and becomes deathly sick during the voyage.
• Letters from Zedelghem - follows an aspiring musician, Robert Frobisher, as he takes up the job of apprenticing with an acclaimed musician in the Netherlands.
• Half Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery - takes place in 1973 and follows Luisa Rey, a columnist for Spyglass Magazine as she unearths a deadly geo-political coverup.
• The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish - A publisher gets into debt and turns to his brother for help who tricks him into checking into a retirement home.
• An Orison of Sonmi-451 - An artificially made servant in future Korea escapes her captivity and has a choice to make involving the future of her society.
• Sloosha's Crossin' an' Everythin' After. - In a post-apocalyptic world, a valleysman tortured by voices of the devil is forced into helping a member of an outside race do research and complete a trek up a dangerous mountain.

If that sounds impossible to make into a coherent movie (let alone let actors play different roles in each of these stories), you would have been right, before the release of Cloud Atlas. The most miraculous thing to come from this movie is that these six stories and their interrelated themes are easy to follow. You might be confused or caught up at first trying to connect the story lines together, but eventually there comes a point where it quickly becomes evident what is going on and you just let it wash over you. 

I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, and if you haven't seen it, you really should go buy a ticket now, so I won't get into the intricacies of each of these story lines and what happens exactly. What I want to talk about is the structure and construction of this movie and why it works. One of the things the film does so well is it's ability to shift tone drastically without losing focus. The movie will cut in between scenes via movement, the same actor being in each scene, it will often shift thematically, and by having a similar line repeated in both scenes. If a character says one thing in one storyline, the movie may shift to another storyline where another character says the exact same thing or something very similar. And this translates beautifully on screen, subconsciously giving your brain a reason to connect the two stories together. Shifting quickly from the over the top "british comedy-esque" tones of the Timothy Cavendish to the somber, beautiful chords of the musician, Robert Frobisher, seems silly, and by any other measurement, it would be, but, here, it works. It really works.

Something else the movie does to let your brain make the transitions more easily is have actors play six different roles in each of the stories. Tom Hanks goes from playing a Doctor on board the voyage with Adam Ewing, to a scientist, to Zachry, a valleysman haunted by the voices of the devil, and others. It's really incredible. Tom Hanks really deserves an oscar for at least his role as Zachry. It's really freaking incredible.

This leads into something I wanted to address and that is the makeup. Yes, at times, the make up is wildly inconsistent (poor Hugo Weaving). But, to me, the makeup was meant to represent a thin veil between the actor and the audience so that the audience would make the connection that it is the same actor playing different parts. In other words, you're supposed to be able to tell that Hugo Weaving is in drag at one point, and yes, it's supposed to be funny in that context. There is also the issue of some of the cross-race casting. Jim Sturgess who plays Adam Ewing in the first storyline also plays a Korean man in An Orison of Sonmi-451, and Hugo Weaving also plays a Korean man, but you do also have Halle Berry and Doona Bae playing white women at one point as well (though the historical and racial implications may not leave the same sour effect in most people's mouths). Normally, this would leave a sour taste in my mouth as well. After all, the implications are that you are taking an acting job from a Korean man who would be able to play a Korean man better than a white man would. However, in this case and in the context of the movie, this idea of casting these actors in different races and genders, works beautifully.

As stated before, the makeup, in my opinion, acts as a thin veil to keep the audience in the loop about what actors are playing who, but it also serves as a commentary on race and gender being social constructs and man-made barriers. Whether you agree or not, this is a core theme in a movie all about the breaking down of barriers. Therefore, in my mind, casting black actors as whites, whites as Koreans, and men as women, really helps to reinforce this core theme.

Overall, Cloud Atlas is a movie all about theme. It dares to explore and break boundaries we set up between our culture and others', between men and women, and between past and present. And I believe at the heart of all of this is the idea: Just be a good person. That even a single act of kindness could have a ripple effect through time. After all, if you saved one persons life now, that person can then have kids, whose actions will affect other people, whose actions will affect other people, and so on. It's a theme that I absolutely adore in a movie, and is a reason that Cloud Atlas just isn't a well-made film but is one of my all-time favorites.

5/5

Hello!

My name is Alex Crouch and I am currently a freshman at Indiana University studying with a double major in 'Communications and Culture' and Telecommunications. I created this blog as a way to get my thoughts down on films, books, television, video games, etc. It's a general all purpose blog to get my thoughts down. My only hope is that people actually find it somewhat interesting. I should have my first true post up sometime soon. Stay tuned :)

My YouTube Channel that I started awhile back that I devoted almost entirely to video games related things: http://www.youtube.com/user/ctrlaltdeletestudios